Schaeffler India MD Harsh Kadam gets bail in Talegaon CO2 leak case that killed two workers

Pune, 23 October 2026: Harsh Gopal Kadam, managing director and CEO of Schaeffler India, was granted bail on Thursday by a court in Vadgaon Maval. He is 60. A CO2 leak at the company's Talegaon MIDC plant on 9 June had killed two workers and injured four others. Kadam was formally arrested in this case.

Talegaon MIDC police took Kadam into custody on 19 October. During the medical examination before he was to be produced in court, his blood pressure rose sharply, and he had to be admitted to Sassoon General Hospital. The court directed the police to keep him in the hospital under police custody and guard until he was discharged, and to produce him in court as soon as he was.

According to the police, Kadam was formally arrested after his discharge from the hospital and produced before the court. The court then granted him bail.

The accident happened while expired CO2 cylinders in the plant's fire suppression system were being replaced. The police first registered a case of accidental death. An FIR was then registered on 4 July against six people, among them the company's safety officer and people working for two contractors involved in the work.

The police said seven accused had been arrested before Kadam and a chargesheet has already been filed in the case.

Investigators allege that the CO2 cylinders were installed in a basement pit without the required permission. The pit had neither an exhaust fan nor any arrangement to extract air mechanically. An inquiry by the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health also found that the space did not conform to the company's approved plan.

According to the police, Kadam was the occupier of the premises and is therefore responsible for the installation, since no change could be made without his permission. It is alleged that the deaths and injuries were caused by negligence in this matter.